[Review] Carly Rae Jepsen – Live at Grand West

Last week Wednesday, my cousin and I set out for the girliest of girls’ nights. We had two tickets to see Carly Rae Jepsen live and we were excited! By no means am I a Carly Rae Jepsen fan. I know two songs which I sing along to with tons of fervour in the privacy of my bedroom, but that’s about it. If asked about it, I would have previously denied it due to trying to be cool. I’m not cool though. I have a pop stash stretching all the way back to the early 90’s.

Matthew Mole at Grand West by Vetman Design and Photography

We arrived at Grand West, stocked up on pink Brutal Fruit and headed inside. Again, the organisation was perfect. I’m yet to attend an event at Grand West where things don’t run smoothly and isn’t well organised. The Kiffness and Matthew Mole were the opening acts; stellar performances, obviously.

I was disappointed by how empty the venue was. I only realised Carly Rae Jepsen was performing in Cape Town two days prior to her show. Up until that point I hadn’t seen any marketing to promote her tour, so in that regard, I think a better job could have been done. That was a little embarrassing.

I was impressed by how this didn’t bother Jepsen at all. Her energy never dipped once. She is an incredible performer and there’s something to be said for a musician who performs like there are a million people in the crowd and constantly seems like she’s having the best time in the world. Each song had a little story behind it which she was so excited to share and she never stopped interacting with the crowd. Not once did she miss a note and it was difficult to believe at times that such a tiny person could make so much noise.

Carly Rae Jepsen at Grand West by Vetman Design and Photography

I wouldn’t necessarily buy her album, because at times, it became a bit monotonous for me, but her fans were constantly singing along while swinging posters cladded in glitter above their heads. By the time she got down off the stage during “Call Me Maybe”, the pre-teens were losing their minds.

For her encore, she performed “I Really Like You” in a Springbok jersey while humbly thanking everyone for coming to see her. This is such a cute little person with so much heart and energy, so even though I’m not necessarily a Carly Rae Jepsen fan, I have a lot of respect for this little powerhouse performer.